*looks* Oh! It's Neuza Silva. She was a decent player, top 200, singles and doubles. She should know what players can do, and understand their thinking and requirements. Her resources are very meagre without MLDB though.
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Data I post, opinions I offer, 'facts' I assert, are almost certainly all stupidly wrong.
I realise the opposition were weak today, but I thought Anna and Katie played really well together and I would keep them as the doubles pair on Friday regardless of the results in the singles.
I realise the opposition were weak today, but I thought Anna and Katie played really well together and I would keep them as the doubles pair on Friday regardless of the results in the singles.
If I didn't know otherwise, I'd have thought they were a regular partnership. They combined really well, and some of the points they played were outstanding.
For our players to bother even turning up here means they wish to sign up to the Fed Cup for years to come. For even if they get promoted this year, they will only enter WG2, a level you can get relegated from much more swiftly than you can get promoted to. And with our lack of strength in depth, that's a problem. So no future Fed Cup absences for Jo, or she really might as well not be there in Estonia right now.
Currently WG2 is:
Russia Slovakia Ukraine Australia Canada Romania Spain Italy
If there is any cakewalk, it would end when we enter that group. For their upcoming ties in a couple days, Russia and Ukraine have submitted weak line-ups, so GB might meet them in a relegation play-off. At which point those line-ups could strengthen significantly. But that is just one possible scenario, and it could turn out to be a much softer path for GB than that.
As an aside, do you think the BBC would look to broadcast WG2 matches, or would it continue out of the spotlight?
Was interested to see ( well hear ) how Katie did. Tournament wise she doesn't really 'do' doubles these says, not having played doubles since with Katie Swan two wins in the Manchester 100K and a R1 WC Wimbledon exit contributed 35* of her current 38 points for WR 737 ( CH 473 ).
I imagine it might be difficult to play her in a tough and / or meaningful doubles match at the moment. If the Estonia match is one all after the singles, I guess a judgement would then need to be made, or they might even want to give another pair a run out in case needed on Saturday. But where she can get experience within the play-off qualification goal, good.
* only got R1 win Manchester points since they withdrew from their SF,